‘These things can go tens of thousands of years, even millions of years, without moving. The fact that this is happening in our lifetime is interesting stuff.’
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Mississippi isn’t exactly known for earthquakes, so when one measuring 2.5 occurred on Nov. 28 south of Canton at the Ross Barnett Reservoir, it got a lot of attention. But events like this aren’t as unusual in Mississippi as one might think.
“Most of them are not felt,” said James Starnes of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality‘s Office of Geology. “It’s rare for someone to feel a Mississippi earthquake.
“It was a mild earthquake. The other earthquakes that have been centered on this fault have been around the 2 to 3 range. The ones in the 2 range don’t seem to be felt.”
According to Michigan Technological University, earthquakes of a magnitude of 2.5 or less typically aren’t felt, but detected by seismograph. Those in the 5.5 to 6 magnitude range can cause slight structural damage to buildings. Those in the 7 to 7.9 range can cause serous damage and those with a magnitude of 8 or greater can wipe out entire communities near the epicenter.
Luckily, Mississippi will likely never see communities disappear due to an earthquake.
Most Mississippi earthquakes are mild
“We are still considered an inactive area compared to some other places,” Starnes said. “We’re largely safe from any damage. The only part where we could see damage is in the northwest part of the state.”
According to the website weather-temperature.net, Mississippi has experienced 14 earthquakes since May 2015 and 11 of them have been in the 2 to 3 magnitude range. The highest in that timeframe was 3.7 and happened near Hollandale in 2019. According MDEQ records, the vast majority of earthquakes originating in Mississippi have been in the 2 to 3 magnitude range.
So, why is Northwest Mississippi at greater risk of experiencing damage from earthquakes than the remainder of the state? Starnes said it’s because that area is close to the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, it is located in southeastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, western Kentucky and southern Illinois. It’s the most active area for earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains and in the winter of 1811-1812 produced earthquakes estimated to be of 7 or 8 magnitudes.
Starnes noted that the Canton earthquake had nothing to do with the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
What causes earthquakes?
Starnes said there are cracks in the Earth’s crust and they’re called faults. When those cracks shift, the ground moves. In South Mississippi there are salt domes in the ground. These can also shift.
“It’s tension building up and when the tension gives, there’s movement in the Earth’s crust and it shakes,” Starnes said. “The Earth’s crust is dynamic.”
Feeling the ground shake can be unsettling, but Starnes said there’s another side to it.
“These things can go tens of thousands of years, even millions of years, without moving,” Starnes said. “The fact that this is happening in our lifetime is interesting stuff.”
Anyone who felt the Nov. 28 earthquake is asked to call 601-961-5171 and report it to MDEQ.
“If anyone did feel it, we’d like to know,” Starnes said. “That would be worth documenting.”
Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
